Tribute band hitting the high notes

Talking to musician Liam Price, front man for the official Luke Combs UK tribute band, it seems that country has changed in recent years. “When I started out” he told me, “I remember my dad saying ‘what are you going to do with this – country is old hat isn’t it?’ For a lot of people I can see that country was all about Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline, but it’s changing, country is becoming pop rock.”

It’s certainly true that country is finding a much wider audience. According to website countrytown, country music has grown in popularity by 67% already this year in the UK. Whatever the purists may say, Beyoncé’s Texas Hold’Em topped the Billboard Hot 100 this year, becoming the singer’s ninth solo number one single, while also debuting at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart, making her the first Black woman with a number-one country song in Billboard history.

With that popularity, it seems almost inevitable that major country stars will find their names among the list of popular tribute bands. Not so long ago Liam Price was playing weddings and events, and increasingly found himself being asked to play songs by Luke Combs. “I did some research into him and his music, realised I was of a similar stature, my vocal style is not dissimilar, and his crossover if you like between country and rock suits our band. I’ve always loved Nashville. I’ve been going for nine years. So I thought about it and then published a facebook page – and started getting performance enquiries immediately. We’ve hit 10,000 followers in just 12 months.”

Now touring consistently (over 100 dates in the last year), Luke Combs UK are finding their own audience – regularly selling out venues across the country – and the prospect of a US tour followed. With American venues asking for dates, next came a conversation with Combs’ management. “I didn’t expect to even get a response” said Price, “but within a week we heard back with a message of both approval and support.”

With that support the band now have US dates confirmed including performances at Stone Pony in New Jersey, the venue where Bruce Springsteen cut his teeth and still plays special events, and at Daryl’s House (the venue owned by Hall and Oates star Daryl Hall).

So what about Price’s ambitions as an artist in his own right? “I was in a pop punk band in the past, touring with bands like Wheatus, and I’ve written original songs and have those in the background. Now with the following that the band has generated I could certainly release my own songs at some point. But for now, I can’t ignore the rapid rise that we have experienced as Luke Combs UK. I didn’t expect it – and neither, I guess, did Luke. Now he has his own exhibition in the Hall of Fame in Nashville, and his debut EP was only released ten years ago.”

The success of Luke Combs UK continues, with autumn dates at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley already sold out and the Beck Theatre in Hayes almost full – but new dates are being announced all the time. Visit lukecombsuk.com for future London dates.